ALLAH
SAYS: “And whenever an incitement to discord is made to you by Shayṭān, seek refuge in Allah. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” [1].
Allah
also says: “When you recite the Qur’ān, We put between you and those who believe not in the Hereafter an invisible veil.” [2].So one ought to seek refuge and then recite whatever is easy of the Qur’ān.
We relate in the Ṣaḥīḥ of Muslim from Abū ad-Dardā’
who narrated: “The Messenger of Allah
once stood up to perform ṣalāh and I heard him say: ‘I seek protection in Allah from you.’ Then he said thrice: ‘I curse you with the curse of Allah.’ He stretched out his hand as if he was holding on to something. When he had completed the ṣalāh we said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, we heard you say something in ṣalāh which we have never heard you say before; and we saw you stretch out your hand.’ He replied: ‘The enemy of Allah, Iblīs, came with a flame of fire and put it in my face. I said: “I seek protection in Allah from you” thrice. Then I said thrice: “I curse you with the curse of Allah.” Then he retreated three times. I was on the point of catching him. Had it not been for the du‘ā’ of my brother Sulaymān, he would have been bound up and had the children of Madīnah playing with him.” [3].
I say: “[If Shayṭān appears, or if one fears that he may do so,] one should call the adhān as for ṣalāh.”
A‘ūdhu bi-llāhi mink. Al‘anuka bi-la‘nati-llāh.
We relate in the Ṣaḥīḥ of Muslim from Suhayl ibn Abī Ṣāliḥ, who related: “My father sent me to the Banī Ḥārith, and with me there was a servant or companion. Someone called him by his name from behind a wall. The person who was with me looked at the wall but could not see anything. I mentioned this to my father and he said: ‘If you realise that it is him you are encountering [i.e. Shayṭān], he will not let you go. But if you hear a voice then make the call for ṣalāh, for I heard Abū Hurayrah
report that the Messenger of Allah
said: “Shayṭān turns his back in retreat when the call for ṣalāh is made.”’” [4].
References
[1] Qur’ān 41:36.
[2] Qur’ān 17:45.
[3] Muslim (542). The du‘ā’ of Sulaymān is: “He said: ‘O my Lord, forgive me, and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to another after me; for You are the Bestower of bounties.’” Qur’ān 38:35.
[4] Muslim (389).